Environment and sustainability – November 2025
Rules and regulations – globally and in the EU
A Eunomia study (433 kB) commissioned by IAI shows a global recycling rate of 75% for aluminium beverage cans in 2023. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has launched the 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business (25.38 MB). EU: The Council has adopted its negotiating position to postpone and simplify the EUDR. The EP has adopted its negotiating position on simplified sustainability reporting (CSRD) and due diligence (CSDDD). The EP has also formally adopted the regulation on preventing the loss of plastic pellets to the environment. The Netherlands (in Dutch) and five other Member States are calling on the EC (52 kB) to take action to support the plastic recycling industry. 2024 data (1.93 MB) from PRE illustrates the deepening crisis of this industry. The EC has published guidelines with criteria for the costs of cleaning up litter under the SUP Directive. The EP has published a briefing (437 kB) on the new Waste Framework Directive. Adelphi analysed household packaging recycling in 8 EU member states. The study (1.16 MB) shows that competition sharpens performance where EPR organisations also hold responsibility, material, and costs. GreenDot has launched digi-dot.info to help consumers make better sorting decisions by providing simple, location- and language-specific instructions. Fraunhofer UMSICHT has compiled an interactive map of Europe's chemical recycling activities. Eurostat reports that each EU inhabitant generated around 177.8 kg of packaging waste in 2023 (8.7 kg less than in 2022). 42.1% of the plastic packaging waste was recycled.
Rules and regulations in various different countries
Australia: The NSW Government has announced the next stage of the NSW Plastics Plan targeting unnecessary and hard-to-recycle plastic. Brazil: The government (in Portuguese) has published the Reverse Logistics System for Plastic Packaging with targets for product reuse and the use of recycled content in packaging. Germany: DIVID reports that UBA (in German) has announced that SUPs with a capacity of more than 500 grams will be exempt from the SUP levy. The federal government (in German) has opened a consultation (in German) on a new packaging law. VerpackDG, the successor of VerpackG, focuses on waste prevention and recycling. NL all info is in Dutch unless stated otherwise: The Benchmark Household Waste 2024 (10.01 MB) by the NVRD shows a stagnation in waste separation, while the management costs have increased by 8%. NVRD reports that the PMD (Plastic, Metal and Drink cartons) yes/no list (7.29 MB) has been updated. UK: The government has introduced draft amendments to the packaging EPR (pEPR). US: The EPR Leadership Forum has published a report entitled Unpacking Successful Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Policy for Packaging in the U.S. (7.11 MB). A Smithers report (3.49 MB) published by AMERIPEN, CTA and CBA estimates that source reduction efforts have decreased US packaging volume by about five million metric tons between 2019 and 2024.
Research on plastics
A study coordinated by Fiocruz (in Portuguese), points to widespread plastic contamination in the Amazon. Penn State researchers have found that tidal marshes trap microplastics. KAUST researchers have found PET-eating bacteria in the ocean.
In the face of restrictions on SUPs, some companies are manufacturing straws marketed as biodegradable and environmentally friendly. But are they really? A Northeastern University researcher and colleagues put 13 drinking straws made from paper, bioplastics, oyster shell fillers and other materials to the test. They found that a straw derived from captured greenhouse gas methane had the least impact on the environment.
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